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Frequently Asked
Questions About Busing |
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Q. Who must be transported?
A. In accordance with State law, N.J.S.A. 18A:39-1, all
public elementary school students (grades K-8) who live more than 2 miles from
their school and all public secondary school students (grades 9-12) who live
more than 2 ½ miles from their school are entitled to transportation. These
students are said to live "remote from school". Whenever any school
district is required to provide transportation to students attending regular
public school programs, students attending nonpublic schools who meet those
distance requirements may also be entitled to transportation services. In
addition, any student classified with special needs who either meets these
distance requirements or for whom transportation is required in the student’s
Individual Education Plan must be transported.
Q. How is the distance between a student’s home and
school measured?
A. Measurement is made by the shortest distance along
public roadways or walkways between the entrance to the student’s home closest
to the roadway or walkway to the nearest public
entrance of the school building.
Q. Who is responsible for transportation to charter and
choice schools?
A. The transportation of students to and from a charter
school is the responsibility of the board of education of the school district
in which the student resides. Students who reside less than remote from their
charter school are eligible for transportation in accordance with the policies
of the district board of education in which they
reside.
Choice school districts are responsible for providing transportation to
enrolled choice school students who are eligible for transportation.
Q. Are there any limits on nonpublic school
transportation?
A. Yes, there are several limits on nonpublic school transportation. They are:
If the cost of the transportation to be
provided to the nonpublic school student will exceed the annual maximum
expenditure, then the school district may not provide the transportation, but
instead must pay the student’s parent or legal guardian that amount in lieu of
transportation. In the 2007-2008 school year,
transportation services are also extended to students living in third-class
counties or second-class counties with a population of less than 235,000 who
reside no more than 30 miles from their nonpublic schools located within the
state. This applies to
Q. Is it a district
responsibility to provide transportation for students who live less than remote
from school when hazardous road conditions exist?
A. Boards of education are not required
by law to provide busing for students who live less than remote from school
even for safety reasons. However, boards are permitted, at their own discretion
and expense, to provide transportation for students who reside less than remote
from school and may charge the student’s parents or legal guardians for this
service. Municipalities may also contract with boards of education for this
service and charge the parents. This transportation service is called
subscription busing.
Q. Where can I purchase
subscription busing?
A. Subscription busing may be purchased
from your own school district, another school district transporting students to
that school, or a coordinating transportation services agency (CTSA) providing
busing to that school. A board of education or CTSA may provide this service at
their own discretion.
Q. Who is responsible for
safe travel along public roadways or walkways?
A. Case law has long held that safety
along public roadways and walkways is a municipal responsibility. It is for
this reason that municipalities install sidewalks, traffic signals and signs,
and paint crosswalks. Pursuant to Section 40A:9-154.1 of the New Jersey
statutes, school crossing guards are appointed by the municipality and are
under the supervision of the chief of police or other chief law enforcement
officer.
Q. How long may a school
bus be used to transport students in
A. Most school buses can be used for
twelve years from the date of manufacture, or the end of the school year in
which that date occurs. Vehicles with a Gross Vehicle Weight exceeding 25,000
pounds may be used for twenty years.
Q. Are school buses
required to be equipped with passenger seat belts?
A. All vehicles manufactured after
October 1992 are required to be equipped with lap-type seat belts or other
child restraint systems.
Q. What is being done to
ensure that students are safely transported to and from school?
A. School buses are inspected at least
twice each year by special school bus inspection teams from the New Jersey
Motor Vehicle Commission.
School bus drivers are required to hold
a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) with a passenger endorsement, and are,
therefore, also required to meet federal standards for alcohol and drug
testing. These standards include testing upon initial employment followed by
random tests. In addition, school bus drivers must undergo a physical
examination every two years, a criminal background check upon initial
employment and at the time of renewal of their CDL, and submit an annual
driver’s abstract (i.e., a history of motor vehicle violations).
Q. Has the school
transportation efficiency plan resulted in any actual efficiencies?
A. Yes, since the inception of the
School Transportation Efficiency Plan, the number of districts falling below
the state standard of 120 percent vehicle utilization has decreased from 489
school districts to 140, and the number of students transported through
coordinated transportation services has grown from approximately 8,000 to
roughly 63,000.